Who am I?

Virginia Beach has been my home for almost 30 years. I moved here when I was seven years old, and I grew up in the 84th House of Delegates District, attending elementary school and graduating from the local high school. I’ve run a small business, served the taxpayers of Virginia Beach in the Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue, been a high school teacher, and proudly represented this district on the Virginia Beach School Board. My parents taught me the value of hard work and honesty, and inspired me to chase my dreams. I look forward to raising my family here and sharing with them all that I love about our community.
Community involvement:

My family instilled in me the importance of being part of the conversation and being informed. They encouraged me to give back to the community, which had given us so much.

• Organized fundraisers for the March of Dimes
• Organized a fundraiser for the American Red Cross disaster relief fund after the September 11th attacks
• Little League baseball coach
• Graduate of the Virginia Beach Leadership Institute
• Graduate University of Virginia Sorensen Program for Political Leadership
• Past member of the Virginia Beach Education Foundation
• Past member of the Green Run Home Owner’s Association
• Volunteered for Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads
• Helped organize Virginia Beach Safe Kids Day
• Team organizer for the Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society
• Volunteered for the Southeastern Food Bank of Hampton Roads
• Volunteered for the For Kids Foundation
• Governor’s appointee to the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Justice

Why am I running?

Public service is something that was engrained in me at an early age. Eating breakfast with my dad each morning we would read the newspaper together, he wouldn’t let me read the sports page until I read the National and Local news sections first. Each time I complained about something I thought was unfair or unjust, he would say to me, “well Brent, what are you going to do about it.” He didn’t believe in sitting on the sidelines, he wanted me to be involved in our community. So that is what I’ve done and what I’ve dedicated my life to. I wan to continue to serve my community and work to make Virginia Beach the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family.

My Goals

Improve education for every student. I want to reduce the number of standardized tests our students are forced to prepare for and take each year. If we can eliminate some of the tests then our teachers will have more time to teach our students in a manner that is more fitting for a 21st century education. We should be doing more hands on projects, teach our students how to make decisions, problem solve, thing creatively, and use the newest technology. Reducing the number of standardized tests will also give our students more time to take a more diverse selection of classes and expand opportunities for greater vocational training and provide more direct instruction for our special education students.

Second, I want to make a college education a real opportunity for every student. I want to use the Virginia lottery funds to start a college scholarship program for every student that graduates from a Virginia High School with at least a 3.0 grade point average. I believe that this will transform our state. It will make us even more economically competitive and will motivate students to work harder in school when they know that college is a real opportunity for them.

My DFA Values

Our campaign will encompass the values of community, security, and liberty through everything we do. Our campaign is recruiting people from all over the community and from all walks of life. This campaign’s main reason for existing is to make sure our community gets the attention it deserves and becomes the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Too often the community I want to represent gets overlooked here in Virginia Beach because it isn’t an affluent section of the city and it doesn’t contain the oceanfront. When I was on the school board I worked to make sure our schools got every resource they needed and I was successful. As a school board member I worked to make our community as safe as possible by working to combat gang violence and bullying in our schools. A kid can’t get a good education if they are more worried about their security than their education. I also worked to pass workplace non-discrimination policy that included our military veterans and sexual orientation and I worked to improve our bullying policies to include sexual orientation into the description of intolerance that would not stand in our schools. I believe I embody the values that will make us all proud.

My Campaign is People Powered!

My campaign isn’t just people powered but it is powered by a great diverse group of people. I’m lucky to have taught some of the greatest students in the world and they have repaid me by coming out to volunteer for my campaign. Nothing motivates you like a former student coming into your office and telling you about how you impacted their life and that they want to help. This story plays itself out time and time again and each time it make me proud of the work I’ve been lucky to do. Second, because of the time and effort I’ve put into this community on the school board, through volunteering for groups, and with the Democratic party I’ve been lucky to have dozens and dozens of people come out to volunteer for this campaign, especially our teachers and Demcoratic activists. Lots of folks talk about a grass roots campaign, but so far this campaign has been powered by the people I’ve dedicated much of my life to.

Voice support

About the Endorsement Process

The driving force behind all DFA endorsements is our members. We recognize that all politics is local and that what is considered progressive in Los Angeles may be very different from what's considered progressive in Louisville. For this reason, DFA does not have a litmus test of specific progressive positions for which a candidate must stand. Our endorsement is heavily weighted based on these questions:

• Will the candidate move the progressive movement forward in their community?
• Does the candidate have substantial support from our local members?
• Do the candidate's positions and policies fit into the broader progressive movement?
• Is the campaign people-powered and the candidate working to win?

If you have questions, or want to let us know about a candidate in your neighborhood, please call us at (802) 651-3200 or email us at [email protected] .